Marijn Vredendaal-Luchtman is the Global Head of Sponsorships at Just Eat Takeaway.com, one of the world's leading online food delivery marketplaces. Known for its memorable TV advertising campaigns (Did somebody say…), Just Eat Takeaway last year extended its sponsorship of UEFA’s men’s club competitions, including the Champions League and Europa League, until 2027.

Marijn faces the challenge of activating one of the most complex rights packages in world sport across 11 months of UEFA club competitions each year, culminating in the Champions League final—the most-watched game in team sport, reaching a global audience of 450 million viewers.

In an ultra-competitive industry, Just Eat needs to convert eyeballs into orders. Live sport is a natural fit for food delivery firms, but how do they make it work?

In this episode, Marijn shares her insights on making sponsorship activations speak to football fans all across the world, leveraging influencers to extend the value of media rights, and using UEFA football as a platform to help grow women’s sports.

You’ll learn:

2:21 How to truly connect with a global football fanbase

4:50 How UCL sponsorship rights allow Just Eat to align with live sport

6:14 Creating unique content with influencers

8:46 How Just Eat ensures brand visibility throughout the customer journey

13:34 2024 Champions League Final: Blending digital and physical experiences

16:40 Integrating Just Eat’s regional teams into sponsorship activities

19:17 UEFA’s women’s competitions and creating a more responsible sponsorship ecosystem

Jasmine McCrawford is Director of Brand & Strategic Initiatives at the Jacksonville Jaguars. One of the NFL's youngest teams, the Jaguars are executing a bold strategy to reach and engage fresh audiences in ways other teams haven't yet dared.

The most-travelled NFL team, with a decade of international games at Wembley Stadium in London, the Jags puts equal focus on maximising engagement on home turf, battling against powerhouse college teams and leading NFL franchises.

In this episode, Jasmine deep dives into how the Jacksonville Jaguars target demographics ranging from female fans to international audiences, with insight-driven marketing strategies. Micro-influencers and lifestyle brands all play a role in the Jags’ inventive strategy, as the NFL team continues to redefine what it means to be a Jaguars fan – from London to Jacksonville itself.

In episode 13 of The Fan Engagement Podcast, you’lll discover:

1:39 How the Jags fanbase is rapidly changing – and why 4:22 How the NFL team is tapping in to the growth of female fandom 6:57 How the Jags are luring fans away from the NFL’s most-followed teams 9:32 The power of brand and how the Jags partners with brands to strengthen affinity 11:08 How the Jags tailor fan experiences for the UK market 13:24 How the Jags builds lasting fan connections all around the world 14:51 How the Jags' exclusive merch drop is converting loyal fans into buyers 16:26 How the Jags uses social listening to discover micro-influencers 19:56 How on-field activations fuel digital engagement & sponsor activation 22:45 The key KPIs driving the Jags’ marketing strategy this NFL season

Stuart Wareman is Global SVP Experiences, Events & Sponsorship at Accor. Accor is one of the world’s largest hotel groups – made up of a global network of over 50 brands, including Ibis, Sofitel, Novotel, Orient Express and Mercure.

Accor has cultivated brand partnerships with some of the most prestigious names in sport, including the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup, PSG, the America’s Cup, Tour de France, Roland Garros and Kylian Mbappe. This year, Accor took on its biggest challenge yet as a Premium Partner of the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics, which includes managing the athlete and media villages.

Exactly how does Accor measure and maximise its sports sponsorship activity? What exciting new opportunities did the Paris 2024 Olympics present? And how Accor unlocked the power of sport to grow loyalty with its customers?

In episode 12 of The Fan Engagement Podcast, you’ll learn:

• 1:35 Intro to Stuart and his role at Accor
• 3:32 How sports sponsorship has supercharged Accor’s business growth
• 4:50 How Accor’s sponsorship of PSG grew global brand awareness by 2/3rds in 18 months
• 7:07 Utilising access to sporting events as part of Accor’s loyalty programme
• 9:38 Messi, Mbappe, Neymar and VIP tickets: Leveraging PSG’s IP to engage sports fans
• 13:15 The Olympics, FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup… why sponsor the world’s biggest events?
• 16:17 The first sponsor to manage athlete and media villages at the Olympics
• 22:28 How Accor measures the value of their Paris 2024 Olympics sponsorship activations